Exercising-machine.



v`No. 775,718. Y VPA'IENTED NOV. 22, 1904. P. BITTER.

EXERGISING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, 1904.

no MODEL.

UNirED STATES Patented November 22,1904.y A

FREDERICK BITTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

EXERCISING-NIACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 775,718, dated November22, 1904. Application filed May 24, 1904. Serial No. 209,433. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it pta/y concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK BITTER, a citizen ot' the United States,and a resident of the cityoi' New York, borough of Manhattan, in thecounty and State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedExercising-Machine, otl which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The purpose of the invention vis to provide an exercising-machine in thenature of parallel bars and to so construct the machine that only twostandards are employed, firmly supported at their lower ends, and toprovide the upper ends of the standards with handLgrips having upperbar-sections. n

Another purpose of the invention is to so construct the said hand-gripsthat they can be removed from the -standards when not required andturned in the standards at the will of the exerciser while exercising onthe machine, the said hand-grips being so supported in the standardsthat when subjected to direct downward pressure they will remain asstationary as though iixed in the standards.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ot'this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved machine. Fig. 2 is avertical section through the upper portion of one of the standards andthe hand-grip iitted thereto. Fig'. 3 is a vertical section` through thelower portion of the standard shown in Fig. 2 and a section through thebase for the said standard, and likewise a section through the fasteningdevices employed to hold the standard iirmly to the base at its lowerend; and Fig. 4L is a Vertical section through a portion of the base andthrough a stand ard, illustrating the said standard as verticallyadjustable.

The machine consists, practically, ot' a base A, standards B, two innumber, and handgrips O, mounted to turn one in each standard B. Thebase A consists of parallel side sections 10, which are of sufcientlength to have firm bearing on the floor or other support provided forthe machine, together with a central cross-bar 11, whichk is rabbettedto the side sections 10. These standards B are shown as tu bularthroughout their length; but they may be tubular only at their upperends, and a standard B extends upward from the base at each end portionof the cross-bar 11 of the said base, as is shown in Fig. 1.

One means of securing the side sections 10 ot' the base to the cross-bar411 and at the same time securing a standard in position on the base isillustrated in Fig. 3,wherein it will be observed that registeringopenings 12 and 12a are produced, respectively, in the cross-bar and inthe side section of the base receiving the standard, and the lower endof the standard is provided with an exterior thread 13, and in thebottom ot' the side section receiving the standard a recess 14 is madeat the bottom portion of the opening 12a therein. The threaded vportionot' the standard extends through the aforesaid openings 12 and 12, and anut lrisiscrewed upon the standard above the cross-bar 11, havingbearing on the upper face of the cross-bar, while a second nut, 16, isscrewed upon the lower portion of the standard B, which nut when inplace is received in the recess 14 in the side section 10 of the baseabove referred to.

In Fig. 4L I have illustrated a construction whereby a standard isvertically adjustable. To that end the standard, which is indicated byB', is constructed in an upper section and a lower section b', togetherwith a central sleeve-section b2. Both the upper and lower sections andof the standard are tubular, and the sleeve section b2 receives thelower end of the upper section of the standard, being secured thereto bya pin 17 or the equivalent of the same. At the inner lower portion ofthe central or sleeve section b2 of a standard B a thread 18 isproduced, and this thread 18 receives the exteriorly-threadedhead 19 ofa stem.20,*which is passed down into the upper end of the lower sectionb and is secured in place by a pin 21 or the like, while at the lowerend of the said lower section of a standard B/ an interior thread 22 isproduced, which receives the IOO threaded portion of a bolt 23, the saidbolt being passed upward through a side section of the base and thecross-bars 1,1, where the two connect, the head of the bolt 23 beingcountersunk in the under face of the side section 10. Thus it will beobserved that by turning the sleeve or central section b2 of a standardB' the standard may be increased or decreased inlength to withinprescribed limits.

The hand-grips C are removably located in the upper face of thestandards employed, and each hand-grip consists 'of a frame c, made of aspring material, and the material employed is usually bar metal,polygonal in cross-section. rIhe frame c comprises a body 24:,which isabove the standard and is of substantially triangular shape, yet open atits contracted lower portion, and from the sides of this body 24 legs 25extend downward, being adapted to be fitted into a standard, and byreason of their expansion, as is shown in Fig. 2, a handgrip is held inposition until purposely turned. It is obvious that the hand-grips maybe readily turned in their standards while a person is exercising at theoption of such person and that when downward pressure is brought tobearon the body portion of the hand-grip C it will remain firmly in aset position in the standard into which it isfitted.

By reason of the hand-grips having the rotary movement in the standardsB all of the movements usually practiced upon the ordinary parallel barcan be carried out with the aid of but two standards, the base and thetwo hand-grips, while at the same time a va riety of movements which areimpossible on fixed parallel bars are rendered possible 'by reason ofthe hand-grips having the aforesaid movement in theirsupporting-standards.

The upper member of each hand-grip is preferably provided with abar-section 26, adapted to be gripped by the hand, and this bar-section,as shown, is constructed in two parts connected by screws. It will beunderstood, however, that the said bar-sections may be made in but onepart and the material from which the frame of the hand-grip isconstructed passed through the said bar before the said material is bentto the shape described and shown in Figs. l and 2.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent-d 1. In an exercising -'machine, standards,

hand grips, and means for connecting the hand-grips to the standards,whereby the grips will be free to turn but will be held stationary whenpressure is applied thereto, the said connecting means comprising springportions on one of said parts which engage and press upon the otherpart.

2. In an exercising-machine, a base, standards secured to the base, andhand-grips removable from the standards and mounted to 'turn therein,having spring bearing at their lower ends against the inner faces of thesaid standards, as described. i

3. In exercising-machines, a base, comprising side sections and across-bar, standards extending upward from the ends of the crossbar,fastening devices for the standards, which fastening devices also serveto secure the crossbar to the side sections of the base, and handgripshaving spring lower terminals and an upper cross-bar, the lowerspring-terminals of the hand-grips being mounted to turn in the saidstandards, as described.

4. In an exercising-machine of the parallelbar type, a base, standardsextending upward from the base, and grip-bars consisting of triangularframes, hand-bars carried by the upper stretches of the frame, andlingers extending from the lower portion of the frame within the saidstandards, the frame being made of a spring material, as described.

5. In an exercising-machine of the parallelbar type, a base, standardsextending from the base, having tubular upper ends, which standards arein sections, a coupling connecting the said sections and having screwconnection with one of them, and hand-grips mounted to turn in the upperends of the said standards, the said hand-grips comprising an upperhand-bar and a frame of spring material having lingers which extend intothe said standards, as set forth.

6. In an exercising-machine, standards having tubular ends, andhand-grips having spring FREDERICK BITTER.

Witnesses:

J. FRED. ACKER, JNO. M. RITTER.

IOO

